Mayoral candidate Ken Trujillo talked to AL DÍA about what made him set his eyes in City Hall, why education is a personal matter to him, and why Philadelphia needs to restore local control of its schools.

“The state takeover was never about kids — it was a political power grab to take control of our schools, the parking authority, and the airport”, Trujillo said.

He says the city of brotherly love needs to guarantee universal pre-K and fight the “obscenely” high rate of functional illiteracy.

“While charter schools have a place, they should never be seen as a substitute for a healthy public education system”, Trujillo said.

About his work within the Latino community and outside of it, he says “ethnicity does not limit who you can lead”.

Trujillo, of Mexican descent, says he is not bothered by the comparisons with Nelson Diaz as a Latino candidate, but he made sure to highlight his relationship with the Puerto Rican community in this interview with AL DÍA.

What was your process in deciding to become a mayoral candidate? 

After seeing the full extent of Philadelphia’s public school financial crisis, I had a conversation with my wife and daughter about running for mayor. We decided that, even while it may take a personal toll, it is important for someone with my connection to public schools to take on that challenge as well as the other issues our city is facing. 

I owe every opportunity in my life to public education. I am one of five children. My father was a minister and my mother was a part-time nurses aide. There was not a lot of money to go around, and there were times when we had to live in the back of the churches where my father ministered. Had it not been for the support of my teachers, I would never have become the first person in my family to graduate from college. 

I want Philadelphia’s students to have the same opportunities that I did, but right now they’re facing a system in crisis. We can fix that but it’s going to require a mayor to come in and challenge the status quo. Career politicians aren’t going to do that. I have a unique combination of experience as a small business owner, federal prosecutor, City Solicitor and my work through Congreso. I know how to work within City Hall, and I also have perspective on how it has to change to put Philadelphia first. 

What can you tell us about your work in education?

In an effort to give more students the opportunities I had, I helped found one of the highest performing public charter schools in Philadelphia, Pan American Academy Charter School. That experience taught me how to create a successful school. It also made clear that while charter schools have a place, they should never be seen as a substitute for a healthy public education system. We need a mayor who knows first hand the value of a quality public education as well as how to create successful schools. That’s exactly what I bring to the table.

What is your proposal for education?

First, we have to restore local control. The state takeover was never about kids — it was a political power grab to take control of our schools, the parking authority, and the airport. This scheme has left Philly without ownership of our own schools.

Next, we need to guarantee universal pre-K for every child in Philadelphia. There are an overwhelming number of studies that show that increasing access to early childhood education is not only the right thing to do for our students, but for our city. Children who complete Head Start programs are more likely to finish high school, less likely to commit crimes, and more likely to find higher income jobs than their peers not in the program. Another study showed that local economies see $5 to $7 of economic benefit for every $1 invested in pre-K.

Finally, we have to fight the obscenely high rate of functional illiteracy in this city. According to the National Center for Illiteracy, 500,000 Philadelphians are functionally illiterate.  As mayor, I’ll fight to cut the illiteracy rate in half — Illiteracy has to end in our generation. We can’t be great city if half a million of our residents can’t fill out a job application.

What can you tell us about your work within the Latino community and outside of it?

For the last twenty years, I have worked with leaders in the Latino community to create one of the largest anti-poverty advocates in the country, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, which provides underserved communities across Philadelphia with education, job training, housing and health care services. I also had the privilege to volunteer and work with the Hispanic National Bar Association, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the National Council of La Raza. 

I also served the city of Philadelphia as an U.S. Assistant Attorney and City Solicitor. As a federal prosecutor, I helped take down Philly's largest heroin gang. And as the city’s chief lawyer, I brought a lawsuit against gun manufacturers on behalf of Philadelphia and reached an historic settlement with Smith and Wesson. 

I also created jobs here as a small business owner. I founded my own law firm in 1997, which recently combined with another firm here in town, and I own the Spanish language radio station El Zol Philly. Having to make a payroll was one of the most life-changing experiences I had as an adult. It gave me a lot of valuable insight on the challenges of doing business in Philadelphia, and how we can make our city more attractive for new jobs and top talent. 

Does the constant comparison with Nelson Diaz as Latino candidate bother you?

I welcome everyone in this race who loves Philadelphia as much as I do and wants to have a meaningful conversation about its future. 

What do you respond to those who think that the first Latino mayor of Philadelphia has to be Puerto Rican?

As a minister, my father mentored migrant workers from many different origins. He showed me that ethnicity does not limit who you can lead. I was honored to be named the Citizen of the Year in Philadelphia’s Puerto Rican Day parade in 2002, and I appreciate the strong support I have continued to receive from the Puerto Rican community throughout the campaign. 

For the past two decades, I’ve worked in government, business and the community, and I can tell you its impossible to get much of anything done unless you’re willing to put aside bias. The next mayor of Philadelphia has to focus on putting Philadelphia first. That means representing every neighborhood and every Philadelphian, whether they be Black, white, Latino or Asian.

The Hispanic community is not politically unified. What does this represent for you as a Latino mayoral candidate? 

I think it’s the same challenge anyone faces when they’re running for mayor because our city is politically diverse. The goal for all the candidates is to show why we are most qualified to represent the largest number of Philadelphians. I think people will identify with the challenges I had growing up, and recognize that my unique combination of experience in education, government, business and the community makes me the best choice to lead Philadelphia through the great challenges and opportunities we face. 

Have you considered how the apathy of Latino voters is going to affect you? How would you address this? 

There are too many people who feel left out of our political system, and that’s in part why I’m running for mayor — to make sure we have someone in City Hall who is going to represent every Philadelphian. 

We need someone who is going to prioritize our public school system because most of our children are educated in district-run schools. We need someone who is going to focus on creating new jobs in every neighborhood. I’m grateful for Councilwoman María Quiñones-Sánchez’ leadership because we now have the Philadelphia Land Bank. I’ve proposed using the Land Bank to give away vacant lots to small business owners or young start-ups, so that every community has access to new economic opportunity. We also need to make sure that all Philadelphians feel safe in their city. I’ve proposed instituting body cameras on police. By creating greater accountability in our neighborhoods, we can protect both our citizens and our brave men and women in uniform.